For Ages 5-14

Look, Listen, and Land: A Sensory Adventure

Look, Listen, and Land, is a transformative program where play and discovery take root in the heart of the Catskill Mountains at Sugar Maples Center For Creative Arts, a program of the Catskill Mountain Foundation. Guided by our team of inspiring instructors, young Explorers will journey from our spacious, light-filled studios to our stunning campus grounds to observe the intricate patterns of nature, tune into the rhythms of the wild, and ground their imaginations through art and creativity. Whether they are peering at the microscopic world or building interactive sculptures in the fresh mountain air, your child will thrive in an environment that seamlessly blends creative exploration with the joy of the great outdoors. Come build, listen, and play in a place where curiosity truly finds its home.

Fee: $240 + $35 Non-Refundable Registration Fee

SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE!!!

Scholarships are available to students enrolled at Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School or Hunter-Tannersville Central School Districts.

To apply you will need to provide a copy of the student's most recent report card or school evaluation and a recommendation letter from a teacher.

Scholarship requests must be received by June 15, 2026

Fee with scholarship: $65 + $35 non-refundable registration fee: Total $100

If you are interested in a scholarship, please fill out this Scholarship Application Form BEFORE YOU REGISTER

If you have questions, please contact us at administrator@catskillmtn.org

All levels welcome

Join us for a hands-on introduction to Relief Printing. While always visceral, this printmaking process is conducive to personal approaches as varied as high detail or free flowing. Learn exciting techniques for carving designs and imagery into linoleum blocks and how to print your unique artworks. Explore personal imagery and storytelling along with the fathomless possibilities and qualities this tactile process provides. Perfect for beginners and/or artists looking to enliven and expand their practice.

Martin Kruck’s artwork has been featured in 25 solo exhibitions and in over 100 group exhibitions in Germany, Estonia, United Kingdom, Northern Ireland (UK), and the United States. He has received artists grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, and the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. He is a Professor of Art/Printmaking at Kean University Jersey City.  

Fee: $310 (Course Fee: $220 + Lab Fee: $50 + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)

Some throwing experience needed

Students will learn how to throw, alter and assemble pottery out of round. Objectives include being more comfortable altering forms, a further understanding of utility, and an iterative process of developing shapes. Emphasis will be given to asymmetry, stamping, and dynamic attachments. Students will learn how to alter pots at different stages, from wet to bone dry, as well as creating compositions and unified surface. Students should have a basic knowledge of throwing, as well as a willingness to experiment with their work.

Ray Brown was born in Houston, Texas, and earned a BFA with Honors from the University of Mississippi under Matt Long. He earned his MFA in studio art with emphasis in ceramics at West Virginia University. While at WVU, Brown studied with Shoji Satake, Boomer Moore, Jen Allen, and Jeff Moser. He is currently an Instructor and Studio Technician at the University of Mississippi.  

Fee: $660 (Course Fee: $550 + Lab Fee: $70 [includes first bag of clay] + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)

Some throwing experience needed

In this workshop we’ll cultivate slow throwing, Jess’s boundary-pushing techniques for building large scale volumes on the wheel. We’ll throw, coil, and continue throwing, moving back and forth within the space between the wheel, handwork, and altered forms to grow the scale of our vessels and diverse approaches to our work. By abandoning traditional boundaries between throwing and hand building, function and sculpture, decoration and necessity, we’ll embrace the territories between and beyond categories and what we believe is possible.

Jess Thompson is an artist, teacher, and mother. She co-directs Cider Creek Collective, a ceramic arts residency near Mendocino, CA, with her husband, potter Nick Schwartz. They focus on building connections to the land through natural local materials, wood firing, and strong community. Jess’s upbringing in a family of midwestern industrial ceramicists and two decades among back-to-the-landers in Northern California have fostered belief in the radical integrity of handwork and carrying old skills forward amidst a technocratic world order.

Fee: $660 (Course Fee: $550 + Lab Fee: $70 [includes first bag of clay] + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)

All levels welcome

This workshop offers an introduction to the practice of finding color within our immediate landscape. We'll explore Sugar Maples’ vibrant landscape to find wild materials suitable for artist pigments, engage in ethical foraging, and learn to process these materials into art supplies. We will cover a variety of methods and outcomes, including dye, ink, paint, laking, and more, guided by participant interest and available materials.

Lou Thorne is a multidisciplinary artist and pigment worker. Her current practice focuses on collaborations with hyper-local materials typically considered invasive, excessive, or otherwise undesired. She lives in the Oblong Valley (Mohican, Munsee Lenape, and Schaghticoke lands).

Fee: $420 (Course Fee: $330 + Lab Fee: $50 + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)

All levels welcome

With generous support from AMACO, join glaze designer Cory Brown for a hands-on workshop exploring AMACO’s amazing range of cone 5–6 glazes. From fan favorites like Potters Choice to exciting new lines, Cosmos and Phase, this is a unique opportunity to experiment, learn, and play with color and surface.  For the first half of Day One, Brown will give an overview of AMACO’s glaze families through a guided presentation and demos on reading glaze labels, layering effects, and application. Students will glaze their bisque-fired tiles using a wide selection of AMACO samples—many of which will remain in the studio for continued exploration on Day Two. Cory will teach during the morning of Day One, and Studio Techs will assist students and conduct the second firing on Day Two. All levels are welcome.

Cory Brown is a ceramic artist based in New York City. Committed to his career in ceramics from an early age, Cory refined his craft through artist residencies, ceramics tech roles, and a formative teaching opportunity in India. After earning an MFA from Alfred University, Cory has worked full-time developing new glazes for AMACO. He maintains a healthy art-making practice focused on experimental ceramics. His recent work with glaze foam explores a collaboration with the unpredictable nature of ceramic phenomena, embracing beautiful chaos.

Fee: $235 (Course Fee: $170 + Lab Fee: $25 + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)

Some throwing experience appreciated

This wheel-throwing workshop offers a focus on exploring and experimenting with different "lidding systems" used in pottery making. Taught by one of the country’s most renowned potters, this exciting course will offer students detailed instruction and hands-on experience with an array of different approaches to making lids for pots and, alternatively, pots for lids. Come expand your skills ten-fold through this concentration on tools, techniques, and aesthetics. There will be lively discussions, demonstrations, and lots of individual attention.

David MacDonald received his MFA from the University of Michigan in 1971; and joined the faculty of the School of Art at Syracuse University, retiring in 2008. His creative work is mostly inspired by his investigation of his African heritage. His work has been featured in several ceramic textbooks and magazines. He has also been featured in several nationally televised programs.

Fee: $650 (Course Fee: $550 + Lab Fee: $60 [includes first bag of clay] + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)

All levels welcome

During this dynamic workshop students will learn different techniques of the art of stained-glass. Starting with a small 5-piece project without borders, students will learn how to cut, grind, foil, and solder stained-glass. Students will design and create a larger project learning how to set size and fit pieces together properly. The goal is to have fun and take home two beautiful projects!

Lisa Gnos has been an artist working with stained-glass for over 25 years. Her passions to create and teach have led to owning her own studio. Gnos’ practice includes repairing church windows, custom jobs, mosaics, and fusing glass in kilns. She enjoys repairing and painting antique clock dials, hiking, kayaking and working for a local dentist as an RDH. 

Fee: $420 (Course Fee: $330 + Lab Fee: $50 + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)